ball game
noun
variants
or ballgame
plural ball games or ballgames
1
: a game played with a ball
We have to take care of the basketball. If you don't have the basketball it's hard to win a ball game.—
LaToya Bennett, quoted in The Huntsville (Texas) Item
LaToya Bennett, quoted in The Huntsville (Texas) Item… returned a punt for a touchdown in the first half of the football game to help Georgia earn their first points of the ball game.—Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams
especially, US
: a baseball game
… Lyons was thrown out trying to steal third to end the ball game … —Mark Starr
Mark Starr 2
informal
a
: a set of circumstances : situation
Driving in Britain is a different ball game.—Robert Lacville
Robert Lacville… once that blaze surged across the river, it would be a whole new ball game.—Jeffrey J. Smith
Jeffrey J. Smith
b
: contest sense 1
… on Mar. 17, the candidates must stagger to high-stakes caucuses in Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Kentucky. The ball game could be over by Mar. 20 …—Business Week
Business WeekSynonyms
Examples of ball game in a Sentence
He was popular because he was good at ball games.
Dad took us to a ball game.
watching a ball game on TV
Recent Examples on the Web
However, after quickly stumbling upon the realization that small-town church life is an entirely different ball game, Corey slowly accepts that the path to spiritual leadership might just be funnier and more profound than any sermon could ever teach.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
The first step was my self-tape, and that was pretty word-for-word the ball game scene that’s in [the first episode].
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
My dad could drive me there with his feet up and a ball game on.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2024
Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen may have started dating around the same time as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, but their relationship is a completely different ball game.
—Glamour, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ball game 
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Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
The first step was my self-tape, and that was pretty word-for-word the ball game scene that’s in [the first episode].
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 18 Jan. 2025
My dad could drive me there with his feet up and a ball game on.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2024
Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen may have started dating around the same time as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, but their relationship is a completely different ball game.
—Glamour, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ball game
Dictionary Entries Near ball game
Cite this Entry
“Ball game.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20game. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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